Feb 3rd, 2006 · Some 130 million people are expected to watch Super Bowl XL on Sunday. As always, advertisers are paying big bucks to grab viewers' attention -- and some have resorted to making their spots as strange or unpredictable as possible, says author Warren Berger in his book, Advertising Today.
Jan 21st, 2006 · Japanese singer-songwriter Ayano Tsuji bucks her nation's J-pop trend. In high school, she loved folk music, but found her hands were too small to play guitar. So she turned to the ukulele. Producer Robert Rand has a profile.
Jan 16th, 2006 · Involvement in bowling leagues, bridge clubs, and other participatory groups has declined considerably in recent decades, but community choruses have bucked the trend. Commentator Michelle Mercer has noticed the connection between singing and happiness, as she shares in this postcard from her gleeful local chorus.
Oct 3rd, 2005 · Australians Robin Warren and Barry Marshall receive the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Their research bucked conventional wisdom, showing that a bacterium, not simply excess stomach acid, causes peptic ulcers. Also, it suggested that bacterium may be a major cause of stomach cancer.
Jun 1st, 2005 · King Tut is coming to a museum near you -- but it'll set you back 30 bucks a ticket. The first Tut show in 1976 set the precedent for blockbuster museum exhibits; this year's marks a heyday for the intersection of museums and entertainment. We preview this summer's blockbuster exhibits.
Apr 26th, 2005 · Even as Americans are urged to improve their super-sized eating habits, some fast food chains are offering bigger portions with more fat. And many customers are eating it up.
Feb 17th, 2005 · A pair of paintings from Cassius Coolidge's "Dogs Playing Poker" series brought in almost $600,000 at an auction on Wednesday. NPR's Madeleine Brand talks to Terry Kovel, co-author of Kovel's Antiques and Collectibles Price List, about the sale.
Dec 2nd, 2004 · Books on politics, sex and knitting are among the year's most wanted out-of-print books. Expect to pay big bucks for a 1981 lesbian romance by Lynne Cheney, the vice president's wife or John Kerry's 1971 book on Vietnam. NPR's Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep discuss the Top 10.